Washing-machine



. PATENT OFIQ.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 15,043, dated June 8, 1856.

To all wit-0m t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN MCOHESNEY, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Washing-l/Iachines;`

and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section through axis of shaft on fr, Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through axis of shaft on y y, Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with segment of disk elevated. F ig. 4 is a top view of machine.

Similar characters of reference in the several gures denote the same part.

The character of washing machine to which my invention applies is that in which the operating parts consist of a tub and disk rubber.

The object of the invention is the loosening of the clothes at each -partial revolution of the disk rubber, to prevent their packing; thus greatly facilitating the washing operation.

The invention consists in suspending the disk rubber by cords passing over pulleys to a horizontal pulley governed by a ratchet and pawl, so that the disk rubber may be adjusted in vertical position according to the quantity of clothes in the tub, and the cords kept tight in all such positions; and in connection with the above, the invention further consists in the insertion in the lower face of the rubber, of rotary radial, iiuted frustums of cones, projecting beyond the fluted face of the rubber, the action of these conic frustums in connection with the adjustable suspension of the disk, for eifecting the object specified aforesaid, will readily be understood from the following description and reference to the drawing, in which- A is the body of the tub having a fluted bottom.

B is the disk rubber, consisting of a central portion a, and two hinged flaps, c, kept down when in operation by braces b. This construction does not however constitute an essential portion of my machine, as a solid disk would serve all purposes. The under surface of the rubber is fiuted, and has inserted 1n 1t, so as to proJect beyond the flutes, a number of radial frustums of cones m fluted and capable of rotation, the small bores of the frustums being toward the center of the disk. This disk rubber is designed to be made quite heavy, weighing about seventy-five pounds. This rubber is suspended by cords d d, passing over pulleys e e, to pulley f, which is held by cross piece C. This pulley f turns freely upon shaft D (which is stepped at g), and is held in any desired position by ratchet z' and pawl Z; lever le serves to turn this pulley. This construction serves to adjust the rubber vertically, independently of the operating mechanism.

The shaft D which passes through the rubber, has a cross section as shown at a",- so that as the said shaft is turned by lever Gr, the rubber will be moved with it. As the disk rubber is moved horizontally by the shaft, it will be seen that the cords suspending the rubber will cause the said rubber to move longitudinally along the shaft D, so that the rubber will have a compound vertical and horizontal movement.

The operation of this construction upon the clothes is as follows. At each rise of the rubber the water is enabled to some extent to loosen the mass of clothes, which had been compressed by the previous action of the rubber'. As the rubber descends on this saturated mass, the fluted frustums projecting beyond the face of the disk, encounter the clothes before any otherl portion of the rubber, and by reason of their flutes loosen the surface, for the action' of the disk.

It will thus be seen that at each turn of the operating lever, the suspension of the disk and the fluted frustums act in conjunction to serve an important purpose in the washing operation. That is-the suspending apparatus, by lifting the rubber, permits the liow of water to the compressed surface of the clothing, placing them in a condition to be easily loosened. This loosening is accomplished by the frustums, as the rubber descends on the clothes; by the catching of the utes in the saturated and partially loosened surface.

That this loosening of the clothes is a feature of great importance in this character of machines, will not need demonstration here. It may be mentioned that lever c serves to lift the rubber for removing the clothes.

I am aware that in the patent granted Joel Haines for a washing machine F eb.

5th 1850, the disk is made With a hinged in combination With the rotary, radial segment, (to admit the clothes beneath the fluted, frustums of cones in the rubbing face same), being so arranged as to rise and fall of said disk, operating substantially as, and 15 vertically as it is turned horizontally over for the purposes set forth.

5 the clothes, by turning the vertical roek- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto shaft to the right and left. This feature I signed my name before tWo subscribing Witdo not claim, my invention consisting only nesses.

in an improvement upon the machine of said Joel I-Iaines, to Wit: JOHN MCCHESNEY 10 I elaimv Witnesses:

' The adjustable suspension of the rubber GEO. PATTEN,

disk by cords, ratchet and paWl as described, l J oHN S. I-IoLLINGsHEAD. 

